An Epilogue to the Prologue
by The Far Corners of the Mind
Summary: Taking place shortly after the defeat of Metal Overlord in Sonic Heroes, but before the start of war with Black Doom in Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow decides to abandon Team Dark to find the truth of his origins, his reason for being, his memories, and most importantly, himself. But with saying goodbye, he found himself stumbling. Besides, what if it's not goodbye?


Author's note: Hee, I don't think I've ever done this before, that or I don't remember. Anyway, I've been more known, if known at all, in leaving reviews than for writing, and I've found that I'm actually a much better reviewer than I am a writer, in my opinion. And while I don't believe I'm skilled in any way with writing, I've found it fun to actually come up with ideas, brainstorm, and write. I do want to write more, but I just enjoy focusing on trying to give helpful reviews, or just to sing its praises.

About the story: I wrote this two years ago, but I edited, spell-checked, and improved the story recently this year. More accurately, yesterday and today. I think it's safe to say that I've improved (hopefully), but that's up to you, the reader, to decide.

The concept itself was inspired by the 1995 Robert Rodriguez run n' gun movie _Desperado_ , from one of the last scenes. I liked the style of the dialogue, how very little was said, but what was said was meaningful. I think the music, Los Lobos "Mariachi Suite" and Tito & Tarantula's "Back to the House That Love Built", accented that scene and this story well.

* * *

 _ **An Epilogue to the Prologue**_

* * *

"And you better stay away from the Master Emerald, you hear?!" a deep voice huffed.

"Aw c'mon Knuckles, you know I was only _half_ kidding!" the white bat taunted playfully.

Rouge the Bat looked down from where she was hovering, a clever smirk etched on her lips. The red echidna growled, balling up his fists. Unable to reach the scheming bat, he gave up his pursuit and trudged away to his fellow team members.

The white bat landed gracefully a few feet away from her hulking robot comrade. She sighed, as if relieved and placed her hands on her hips. She surveyed the area around them.

"Boy, what a team, huh?" her sultry voice declared, echoing throughout the deserted area. Rouge ran a hand through her fluffed up white fur primly as she half-turned her body on her heel to look at her teammates for agreement. A smile lit up her features.

Silence coated her question as the wind lightly rustled her hair.

The white bat huffed and turned back.

' _Gee, tough crowd.'_

She adjusted her pink and purple colored heart belt and glanced back up again, only to see a dark figure standing alone, faced away from her. The teams just had defeated Metal Overlord. As the other groups had all went their separate ways, all but one had remained.

A large shadowed form covered the bat and she turned to see the owner.

"Leaving already Omega?" Rouge inquired, cocking her head to the side, hand on her hip as she smiled up at the large robot.

E-123 Omega shifted mechanically to look at the treasure huntress, its height towering over her as he acknowledged her question and in a matter of seconds, determined the correct response to answer it.

" **My services are no longer required,"** Omega stated automatically, **"Now that Metal Sonic has been defeated, there is no need for this unit to linger here."**

The jewel thief nodded.

" **The Doctor has already escaped and I must return to my original objective to pursue him at all costs,"** Omega continued, his cold red eyes seeming to glow only brighter at the prospect of capturing the doctor and having him pay dearly for locking him away in his secret base, **"Body scan complete. Spare magazines secured. Initiating primary objective: Capture the doctor, D.O.A.** **Mission name: Storms of Steel."**

The bat raised two fingers to her forehead and waved a farewell salute to the newly-independent departing robot. She gave him a wry smile.

"Happy hunting."

With that said, the hulking machine rumbled in response and turned to lumber away from her sight. Rouge inwardly chuckled to herself, amused as she watched him leave. Her smile wavered before it slowly disappeared. The treasure huntress knitted her eyebrows together, knowing that he was preparing to go his own separate way.

 _He_ was leaving. Of course, it came of no surprise to her. She knew he would.

' _But I just wish he'd- '_

The sly spy stopped herself.

' _He'd what?'_

It wasn't as if she was going to miss him whatsoever. His less than friendly attitude, snappiness, and awfully distrustful nature was little more than a hindrance to Team Dark. Besides, She was Rouge the Bat, GUN's agent and spy, not to mention the world's greatest jewel thief. There was nothing she stood to gain from his staying. If anything, he'd be slowing her down, ironically, recalling all too well stopping and having to explain things to him.

Not only that, but he had served his purpose with her, as far as she was concerned. Her mission was infiltrate Doctor Eggman's base, search and examine for anything he might be up to, and go straight back to her superiors at G.U.N to give them a full report of his recent activities. Of course, her looking for Eggman's secret treasure was her own little objective and she just happened to stumble upon a couple of lugs who could help her. After all, she _did_ free them.

After all, it was the very _least_ they could do after she decided at that moment in taking them under her wing. With those two, it only made her job so much easier. The three had, after all, united for their own personal agendas. The way she saw it, it was a win-win situation.

Teaming up was only temporary. She knew that. After all, she and the hedgehog were never terrifically attached to each other in any way. She hadn't even seen him for a long time, not since the events after Biolizard, when they believed he had perished and before that, when he rescued her from the exploding prison vault that she had managed to trap herself in.

The bat's eyelids lowered slightly, recalling all too well what happened.

 _The ivory bat slumped mournfully to the floor. Her feet hurt from kicking so much. The steel security doors had just slid shut and tried as she did, she knew they were designed to keep anything from getting in. Or_ out _. She had all three Chaos Emeralds in her hands, just as she planned to. She held up her communicator and contacted the only person who could get her out._

" _This is Rouge. I-I've got a… small problem," Rouge took a deep breath and shut her eyes, wishing this was all a nightmare that she could just wake up from, "I can't believe that I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds!"_

How ridiculous she felt, how utterly helpless she was! Trapped inside an increasingly security breached vault like a rookie on their very first heist. Calling _him_ for desperately needed help. The bat had vowed long ago that she would never allow for something like that to occur ever again. After that little incident, she trained harder than ever, making sure that her arrogance wouldn't get in her trouble.

Pathetic was what it was.

 _The treasure huntress leaned her head back to the wall that she was sitting up against, miserably staring up at the cold hard ceiling._

"… _I…I guess I won't be able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore…" she shakily added, biting her lower lip, silently hoping, praying._

 _There was a pause, no answer replied to her distress call, though she knew he had heard her. The static in the walkie-talkie suddenly went dead. Rouge felt her heart sink._

 _Almost immediately in the last seconds she was in his arms, and they were safely aboard the Ark once more._

Though she'd never admit, the treasure huntress was eternally grateful that he'd come back for her.

 _'One never stops living and learning that's for sure.'_

Rouge sniffed, a little irked.

' _Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way.'_

She remembered when she first laid her eyes on him shortly after unleashing him from the pod in which he was kept inside in Eggman's laboratory. The shock she felt shortly afterwards. It was all she could do but to stand there, dumbfounded before he sprang into action, tackling her out of harm's way as the doctor's vengeful robot went rogue.

 _Rouge sauntered into the room, one of the Doctor's many secret laboratories. 'Not so secret anymore,' she thought slyly._

 _Her deep blue-green eyes skillfully scanned the room in the only way she could, already spying several different exits in case she needed a quick getaway. She confidently strutted as if she were on a catwalk towards a strange silver and red pod in the center of the room as the steel doors sealed shut behind her._

" _Alone at last," she mused to no one in particular as she approached the large rather circular container._

 _Her heels clicked on the hard metal tiled floor, cocky of yet another perfectly pulled heist in Eggman's base. She stopped in front of a machine that stood before the pod which clearly had the treasure that the doctor had been hiding._

 _Now that she had a closer look at it, she found that it was filled with a strange sort of bright green plasma fluid. 'Odd,' she commented voicelessly to herself as she looked over at the keyboard, 'But no matter!'_

 _The white bat quickly typed in a few codes into the machine, speedily hacking into the security, only one of her many impressionable skills._

' _I'm getting that treasure now!' she thought, feeling so triumphant. There were a few clicks and beeping as the computer took in her request._

 _The green liquid was suddenly drained from pod and almost immediately opened, revealing what it contained. Rouge heard herself gasp aloud._

 _It wasn't what was in the pod._

 _Familiar glowing red eyes stared up at her._

 _The sly bat burglar froze. The two stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before he turned to perceive the growing threat of a blasting-out-of-control robot that the jewel thief had failed to notice. She growled. Mistake. Before she could even blink, he had dove towards her, wrapping himself around her as he sprung from the pod to her, pushing her out of the way just as the machines had begun to explode._

 _And she found herself in his arms once more._

 _They tumbled to the ground, with the hedgehog hovering over her. No sooner had they landed had he sprang back up on his feet, ready to deal with the firing robotic being. He turned his face towards her and Rouge once again stared back at those eyes._

" _Stay here," he commanded. In a flash he was already after E-123._

Rouge the Bat continued to stare at Shadow the Hedgehog's back. It was all she could do. Her large white ears twitched, catching him sighing.

Shadow glared at the sky, standing in usual introverted pose. E-123 Omega had just left, informing Shadow as well that the mission was completed so there was no need for him to stay any longer, leaving the dark hedgehog alone with his thoughts.

His thoughts.

' _It seems as if that's all I have now.'_

' _Memories, I have none.'_

' _My past, gone."_

The Ultimate Life Form's stoic expression was still, much like a statue made of stone, cold and blank. But inside his mind was in turmoil.

' _All I know is my name. Shadow.'_

' _Shadow the Hedgehog.'_

"Where're you going?"

The tall black and red streaked male hedgehog turned towards the owner of the soft feminine voice. Rouge was leaning against the steel wall, her long-sleeved dark purple arms crossed as well as her legs. She looked at Shadow with those calm blue-green eyes of hers.

Shadow stared at her for a moment before he looked back ahead towards the sky, his eyes scanning the pale gray blanket of clouds. Rouge looked towards the direction in which he stared at, as if it held all answers that they both were trying to find.

' _Where're you going?'_

The question echoed in his mind.

' _She's right.'_

' _Where am I going?'_

The female white bat patiently waited for the dark warrior to collect his thoughts. She had recently begun getting used to the long pauses and silent moments, knowing that it was difficult for him to adjust to the sudden flow of information and since he had no memory whatsoever, he had to think things over carefully, for fear that if he didn't, he would forget everything once again. Rouge ran a hand through her white fur, combing through.

Shadow slowly shook his head, "I don't know."

Rouge stopped her ministrations and glanced over at him again, her eyes searching the back of his head.

The dark hedgehog furrowed his brow, "There is still so much I don't know. Who I am, my origins, my purpose here on Earth. I… I want to find out who I am," he said determinedly, "I want answers."

' _I_ _ **need**_ _answers.'_

The female jewel thief said nothing. She knew for fact that Shadow's obsession with finding out his forgotten past would never be quenched until he found out who he was.

There was also the question whether he was the real Shadow the Hedgehog, or simply just another android, and believed himself as the real Ultimate Life Form. A problem that was never addressed aloud. She didn't dare to. Nobody did. This subject hadn't been brought up at all, not since they found the broken Shadow Android. When she and Omega had found the room full of Shadow Androids…

Although she still maintained some hope that they would find the actual Shadow, she couldn't help but to also stupidly hope that the black and red hedgehog standing right in front of her with his back turned was the _**real**_ Shadow. And that, somehow, his memories would come back to him.

She wasn't going to miss the way he looked at her at times when they were alone together. In fact she didn't like it at all. His eyes always had this sort of blank look in them. He knew he knew her from somewhere, he simply couldn't place her. Then he would turn away, the little hope of remembering her in his eyes gone, and his face was the same expressionless mask.

' _He's so lost…'_ Rouge paused and corrected herself, _'_ It's _so lost.'_

Shadow died over a year ago, nothing of him was left except the gold bracelet which was evidence enough. Still, she couldn't help but pity the Shadow Android. Prematurely hatched from his egg, cold and wet, he knew nothing and no one. She could admit that was one of the reasons why she had taken him in, other than to further her own ambitions.

Besides, she owed it to him as much.

It was awkward, with neither of them saying anything. Rouge straightened up, making up her mind to break the agonizing silence.

"You know, I do have connections, from where I work I mean", she said casually, "I'm sure if I got in touch with them, they could dig around. Or, you know, I could accompany you if you'd like. We wouldn't even need them, I know my way around most places."

The wind rustled.

And it was true. She was more than proficient in hacking into computers and excelled in finding out what she wanted and stealing it. Shadow knew that. He had seen her in action. Immediately, it occurred to him that she was offering to go with him. She was asking him if he would allow her to join him in regaining lost memories and past. He also noticed that her tone was so… nonchalant. Almost like she didn't care whatever his answer would be. Not that he cared that she didn't care anyway. It made no difference to him.

…Honest.

The hedgehog shook his head again, "This is a journey I have to make alone."

Rouge turned her face away. She understood. Sure, she could very well tell him everything, but it wasn't hers to tell. She was an unrepentant thief who took what she wanted when she pleased, but even she knew that there were just some things that one shouldn't get involved in.

Even if it wasn't the real Shadow, if it was anything like the true Ultimate Life Form, it would have his firm independence, and an obsessive truth seeker. There was very little chance he would believe her until he'd find out for himself.

Shadow nodded to her once and began to walk away.

"Wait."

Shadow stopped and after some hesitance, he turned back to look at Rouge. His brow furrowed.

"I… I hope you find everything that you're looking for."

The dark hedgehog seemed startled at first. Somehow, deep down somewhere, he had the feeling… some kind of intuition that she would never say something like that to anyone.

"…You too."

The thief gave him a small smile and waved a little before turning to her own path. She could feel his crimson eyes boring into the back of her head. She shrugged her shoulders, her face still hidden and proceeded to take off.

"Rouge!" Shadow found himself blurting out and even jumped a little, shocked by the unexpected loudness of his voice.

The bat's ears perked up and she swiveled her head around to look at him, surprised.

The hedgehog mentally freaked. What was he thinking, he had no idea why he did that! He fiddled with his rings for a moment, suddenly looking like uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"I-I… ah…um," Shadow cursed his stuttering with a passion.

He stopped, his eyes held a strange clarity, and his voice no longer shook.

"Did I thank you?"

Rouge stared at him, "What?"

It suddenly occurred to her that he probably wasn't referring to her having busted him out of Eggman's base from the pod. Silently, her heels met the ground once more. Her voice was soft and hesitant.

"…No."

A ghost of a smile made its way on Shadow's face.

"I will."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Rouge stared after him, her eyes mystified. It was not in Shadow's nature to give gratitude, but that wasn't the point. She took off, testing the winds for the fastest course to take. The bat soared through the sky, knowing as well as the hedgehog did what he was really saying.

' _You'll see me again._ '

Rouge bit her lip to conceal a smile.

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Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!


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